


The Phone Call

by JustBeStill



Category: Invader Zim
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-12
Updated: 2017-11-12
Packaged: 2019-02-01 13:24:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12705876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustBeStill/pseuds/JustBeStill
Summary: Dib is upset, and calls Zim, asking him to come over. But Zim doesn't help the situation, he only makes it worse. VENT FIC





	The Phone Call

Dib sat on his bed, crying. His hands shook as he grabbed his phone and dialed Zim's number. He needed to hear a voice that wasn't his own, or his family's. He needed to be consoled. He and Zim had became something like friends ever since the Irken had told him of his Tallest's plans to exile him on Earth.

Dib had been there for him then, so he hoped that Zim would return the favor this time around. He tried to quiet himself while he waited for Zim to pick up. After a few rings, he did. "Hello?"

"Zim? It's Dib. Could I talk to you about something really quick? It's kind of important to me."

The alien hummed. "I guess so, but I'm kind of busy right now, so make it quick, will you?" He cleared his throat. "So, what is the reason you called, Dib? What is troubling you?"

The human sat up in his bed and messed with his blankets. "I made a friend. We've been talking to each other for a few months now. Online."

"That's good." The former Invader responded. Then he paused. "But, then, you should be happy. You sound sad and distressed. What happened?"

"Well, I'll tell you. Her name is Sarah. I met her on a Mysterious Mysteries forum when I had made a post that I wasn't feeling the best lately. She responded and said that I could talk to her about whatever was bothering me if I wanted to. So I did."

"What did you tell her?" Zim asked curiously. "What does this have to do with how you're feeling right now?"

"I'm getting to that, Zim. Let me finish my story, then you can ask questions. So anyway, I told her that I was feeling sad, and she responded by offering up some ways to help with that, like getting a pet or something, but we've had a pet before. A dog. I think it died. So that was out of the question.

Then, she continued giving me advice on dealing with my feelings, while we also talked about normal things, like books and movies and things like that. But, eventually I began to have those thoughts more and more. I never went through with them, though. Sarah said that she had been through the same problems that I was experiencing at the time, and I figured that she understood what I was going through.

So every time that I would have those thoughts, I would tell her about them. But I guess that kind of took its toll on her, because today she said that she basically didn't want to talk to me anymore."

Zim scoffed. "Well, what you were telling her was pretty fucking stupid of you, don't you think? I would probably do the same thing had I been in her shoes. She probably thinks that you're a fucking freak now. You humans are so stupid sometimes. You hardly ever think things through."

That remark only made Dib start to cry again. Zim realized his mistake and sighed sympathetically. "Look, Dib. I'm sorry, okay? What I meant was that you just probably shouldn't say those things to people. It will only end up backfiring on you. If you are having those thoughts, deal with them yourself. Don't tell anyone about them, because then this happens. It is best if no one knows what you are thinking of doing."

Dib glanced at the posters on his wall. "Yeah, you're probably right about that. I shouldn't have told her anything. If I hadn't, then we would still be talking to each other. This would have never, ever happened. I could have avoided this whole situation."

"Yes, you could have, but you chose not to. Did you say anything else to her recently?"

Dib looked down at the floor nervously. "Well, I… I don't wanna say. It's kinda stupid now."

"Try me."

The human sighed. "Fine. I kinda… I told her that I would hurt myself if she didn't respond to me. I just wanted her to talk to me. I think I only made the situation even worse, though."

Zim scoffed again. "Well, YEAH! You definitely worsened it for yourself. Now she's probably never gonna talk to you again. If she didn't think that you were a fucking psycho before, she definitely does now! All you seem to do is ruin everything you touch. You had this chance to talk to someone who actually might have liked you for you, and you took it, and just destroyed it. You kept at it until there was nothing left."

"But I didn't mean to do that, Zim! She was so supportive up until this morning. She just couldn't deal with me anymore, I think. I was probably making her sad, too. That wasn't my intention. I just wanted someone to talk to. I thought she cared about me."

"And where did that get you, huh? Stuck in your room, crying your fucking eyes out, upset over some stupid online friendship that doesn't even mean anything. It doesn't matter. It probably wasn't even real. I bet she was just another person who hated you and wanted to manipulate you into thinking that someone actually liked you. She's probably telling all of her friends about you right now. How messed up you are. I imagine that they're making fun of you at this very moment. The simple truth, Dib, is that no human will EVER like you. You will always be an outcast, forever alone. Miserable. You will never have any friends."

"What should I do, Zim? How can I fix this?"

"I used to tell myself that all things could be fixed. This would normally be a relatively simple problem, and would usually be very easy to resolve, but you're situation is different. You cannot fix this. You can't do anything, and nothing you say will make this any better for you. You may as well quit trying. Give up."

Dib balled his hands into fists. "But I don't want to stop trying, Zim! I wish that I could just turn back the clock, and stop myself from saying those things. I wish I could do it all over again, but differently. I don't want to stop talking with her."

"TOO BAD!" Zim shouted. "You had your chance, you were given an opportunity to make a friend, and you messed up! Now she thinks that you're nothing but a suicidal reject. You can't make this better. You cannot change what she thinks of you. It's too late now. You can't even manage to keep one online friend for more than a few months. You're useless. No wonder nothing ever works out for you. You're just a weak little human who doesn't know how to keep his fucking mouth shut.

You deserve everything that's happening to you right now. You had to have known that this would happen eventually. But you did nothing to avoid it, and you know that anything that you do to attempt to fix this will only make it worse.

Do you why she's not replying to your messages now? I'll tell you why. I think she hates you now. Actually, I know she does. She would rather talk to anyone else BUT you at this point. She is ignoring you, hoping that you will eventually decide to just leave her alone. If anything, you are only making her angry. She thinks you're a lost cause. Unfixable. She thinks you can't be helped. She doesn't care about you. She never did."

"You're wrong, Zim. She DOES care. She said so. She was being sincere, I know she was. Everything that she told me was the truth. She would never lie to me."

Zim began to laugh, the sound was loud in Dib's ear "That's hilarious! You actually thought she was being honest with you?! During my time on this filthy stink planet, I've noticed one thing: Humans lie, Dib. They lie several times a day. It's what they do. They cannot help it. They lie to conceal what they are really feeling inside. This situation is no different."

"I want you to tell me something, Zim: If she hated me so much, why did she continue talking to me for this long? Why did she not stop a long time ago?"

There was silence in the other end for a few seconds. "She... wanted to see how long she could fool you. She wanted to know how long it would be until you finally caught on. She wanted to-"

Dib had reached his limit. "Shut up! Shut up shut up shut up!" He screamed, as he flung his phone at the wall, collapsing onto his bed as he began to cry harder.

And then he woke up.


End file.
